Pneumatic piano-player.



Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. FREBORG.

PNEUMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28,1911.

I [6 l6 l7 B t C. FREBORG.

PNEUMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

4 SHEETS SHEET 2.

C. FREBORG.

PNEUMATIC PIANO PLAYER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 1911.

1,205,727. I Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

llllll lllll lllllllllll! C. FREBORG.

PNEUMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

4 SHEETS SHEET 4.

NMQ

@TATES PATENT @FFTCE.

CHARLES FREBORG, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOI3, ASSIGNOR, TO SOHAEFFER PIANOMFG. COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINGIS.

PNEUMATIC PIANO-PLAYER.

Application filed July 28, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHAnLEs FREBoRc, acitizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county ofKankakee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pneumatic Piano-Players, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to automatic piano players and has particularreference to improved supports for the pneumatics which operate thestickers in the piano action. These supports are adapted to guide thepneumatics into their proper positions in assembling, in which positionsthey have the proper operative relation to said stickers. These supportsare self-locking in said positions.

By means of my improvement above described the entire group ofpneumatics in an instrument may be removed or replaced with the utmostfacility. When thus removed the action is entirely accessible.

My invention also comprises an improved method of mounting thepneumatics themselves in said supports. The pneumatics are arranged in aplurality of horizontal rows immediately in front of the stickers, andeach pneumatic is therefore very accessible from the front of theinstrument. The said pneumatics are so arranged as to be adjustable inhorizontal directions and also in vertical planes, thereby permittingaccurate operative connections to be made with the stickers.

I have also made certain improvements in the valves and otherconnections in which the air which operates the pneumatics iscontrolled.

Other objects and advantages of my improvements will appear in thefollowing specification, when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the upperportion of an instrument with my improvements attached. Fig. 2 is afront Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

Serial No. 641,133.

vacuum chamber and related parts. Fig. is a perspective view of the basewhich serves as a guiding and locking device for the pneumatic supports.Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the pneumatics. Fig. 6 is a sectionalview through-one of the adjustable exhausting apertures. Fig. 7 is afront elevation of some of the movable parts. Referring to Figs. 1 and2, it will be seen that a pair of supporting members 10 are employed forholding the series of pneumatics 12. These supporting members 10 restupon base members 11 of a special form which will be referred topresently. The pneumatics 12 are arranged in three parallel horizontalrows directly in front of the stickers 13 of the piano action. Each rowof pneumaties 12 is supported by a horizontal bar 14, which, in turn, issecured to the supporting members 10 at each of its ends. A suitablesocket 14 in said supporting member receives the end of the bar, and asmall screw 15 holds the said bar in said sockets. There are preferablythree of these supporting bars 14 arranged in a vertical plane, and thepneumatics 12 are attached thereto and have positions below them. Theyare rigidly secured to said bars by means of the clips 25, through whichholding screws or set screws 26 are threaded and which bear on said bars14:. By means of this method of securing the pneumatics to the bars thesaid pneumatics are made rotatably adjustable in vertical planes andtheir operative relation to the stickers 13 may be thereby accuratelyadjusted. This means of attachment also permits a horizontal adjustmentof the pneumatics along the bars for like purposes.

The supporting members 10 are provided with feet 16 and 17, which restupon the sunken portions 18 of the base 11. One of these feet 17 isprovided with a tapered end or toe 19, which is inserted beneath a lug20. The other foot 16 is adapted to hear at its end upon a shoulder 21in said base 11 elevation of the same with portions broken is when thesupport is in its normal position.

away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of themechanism shown a The base 11 is provided with an inclined plane orguide-way 22, which is adapted to in Fig. 1, showing more particularlythe uide said feet 16 and 17 into the normal position above described.The purpose of this inclined guide-way 22 is to cause the supportingmember 10 to assume an inclined position while it is sliding into itsnormal position. The small lifting arms 23 are thereby caused to moveinto position well below the little brackets 23 on the stickers 13. Whenthe supporting members 10 finally reach the sunken portions 18, theythen assume an upright position bringing the said arms 23 into operativecontact with the little brackets 23. The shoulder 21 constitutes anabutment to lock the supporting member 10 in its normal operativeposition. The base members 11 are each provided with a flange 2% upontheir inner sides or walls, thereby causing the supports to be properlypositioned laterally.

Each of the pneumatics 12 is connected with a vacuum chamber 28 andvalve mech anism associated therewith by means of the flexible tubes 27.The vacuum chamber 28 is supported by the supporting members 10 at 30and 31. The vacuum chamber is constructed preferably of wood, as shownat 29, it being an elongated box-like receptacle resting at its endsupon the said supporting members 10. V

The supporting members 10 are provided with upwardly extending arms 34:,which are rigidly secured to the frame 35 of the instrument by means ofthe short connecting bars .The thumb screws 33 serve to make theconnection between the said, arms 3&1 and bars 32. The rear ends of thebars 32 may be threaded into the frame member 35, or otherwise securedthereto. It will be seen that the connection at 33 may be made after thelower ends of the supports 10 have reached final or normal positions, atwhich time the said supports assume upright positions, as previouslydescribed. Thumb screws 36 may serve to hold the vacuum chamber 29 uponthe said supports. A valve chamber 37- is provided'in the upper wall ofsaid vacuum chamber. In this valve chamber are two circular or diskvalves 40 and ll, which are secured to a stem tl and which are adaptedtomove 1n opposlte d1- rections toward their respective seats. Thesevalves control oppositely extending. air pasof saidibellows actuatesthevalve stem 41* when air is admitted tothe interior of said bellowsthrough the channel 43. Air is admitted to the channel 43 through thesmall channel .4 1, which communicateswith a tube 415 leading, from= thetracker board 16. A

smallfchannel 47 leadslaterally from the ber.

channel ii and is opened to a channel 48 in a tube or bushing 48 whichis tightly se-' cured in the upper wall of the vacuum cham- A smallchannel '51 leads from said chamber 49 into the vacuum chamber 28. Athreaded stem or needle valve 52 is fitted into said bushing 48 and isprovided with the conical end 53 which seats in the upper end of thechannel 51. A small chamber 49 is thereby formed between the valve endand its seat. The threaded valve 52 is preferably tightly fitted in thebushing 18?. The escape of the air is thereby prevented. The conical endmay be adjusted to a greater or less closeness to the seat, therebycontrolling the extent of opening between the chamber 49 and saidchannel. The valve 52 may be adjusted by means of an; ordinary screwdriver applied at 54L.v

The above described needle valves 52 serve as a very convenientadjustable meansfor controlling what may be termed exhausting apertures.These apertures lead from the tube as and channels 43 and 44 into thevacuum chamber, thereby allowing the air in said chamber to be released.

The small needle valves 52 are arranged in a horizontal, row adjacentthe upper edge of the vacuumchamber, and are therefore in a veryaccessible position.. All of the valves 40,411 are also very accessibleand may be removed by withdrawing the screw 55. V

The music box 56.conta1mng the music rolls and tracker board. maybemounted upon the upper. wall of the vacuum chamber 28 by means ofstandards 57 securedthereto. In like manner the motor 58 may besupported. These parts are therefore all carried by the same supports 10and base 11.

andv are very conveniently removed. or re placed. Complete. access toall parts of the action ispermltted by removing all. of

the parts carried upon thebase 11.. It is,

necessary only to remove two screws 33 to permit removal of said parts.I

While I have described my invention more or lessminutely and as beingembodied in certain'precise forms, yet it will be understood that Idolnot desire to limitmyself thereto unduly, or. any more than ispointedout in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate changes in form,construction, and

arrangement, the omission of parts, and the substitution of equivalentsas circumstances.

may. suggest or, necessity render. expedient.

I claimr Q r 1. In a deviceof the character described, a series of.piano stickers,.a series of pneu- -matics arranged to coact. with. andoperate said stickers, supporting bars said pneumaticsbeing attachedthereto, supporting means, said bars; being; carried thereby and saidmeans being constructed andarranged to move the pneumaticsintooperativerelation with the stickers when assembling said device, saidmeans being further constructed to lock the pneumatics in such relation.

2. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers, aseries of adjustable pneumatics in operative relation to said stickers,and supporting means for said pneumatics adapted to guide saidpneumatics into said operative relation and to lock them in saidposition.

3. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers, aplurality of rows of pneumatics in operative relation to said stickers,aseparate supporting bar for each row, a standard to which said bars arefixed, a base and means on said base adapted to guide said standard intoits normal position and to automatically lock said standard in saidposition.

1. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers, aplurality of rows of adjustable pneumatics in operative relation to saidstickers, a separate supporting bar for each row, a standard to whichsaid bars are fixed, a base, and means on said base adapted to guidesaid standard into its normal position and tolook said standard in saidposition.

5. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers, aplurality of rows of penumatics in operative relation to said stickers,a separate supporting bar for each row, a standard to which said barsare fixed, a base, and means on said base adapted to guide said standardinto its normal position and to lock said standard in said position, andmeans for securing the upper portion of said standard to the frame ofthe instrument.

6. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers, aseries of pneumatics in operative relation to said stickers, supportsfor said pneumatics, means for guiding said supports into said relationand means integral with said guiding means for engaging said supportswhen they reach said relation, whereby said pneumatics are rendered selfadjusting and self locking.

7. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers, aseries of penumatics arranged to operate said stickers, supports forsaid pneumatics, means to guide said supports into assembled positionwhen assembling said device whereby said penumatics will besimultaneously brought to operative relation with respect to saidstickers, said guiding means being constructed to automatically locksaid supports and thereby said pneumatics in assembled position.

8. In a device of the character described, a series of piano actionstickers, actuating mechanism for said stickers, supporting means forsaid mechanism constructed to guide said mechanism into operativerelation to said stickers when assembling said device, and to lock thesame in such relation.

9. In a device of the character described, a series of piano actionstickers, actuating mechanism for said stickers adjustable with relationthereto, supports for said mechanism adapted to guide said mechanisminto operative relation to said stickers and to lock said mechanism insaid position.

10. In a device of the character described, a piano action, drivingmeans for said action, and means for guiding said driving means intooperative relation to said action, said guiding means having an abutmentadapted to lock said driving means in said operative relation.

11. In a device of the character described, a piano action, drivingmeans for said action, movable supports for said driving means, andmeans for guiding said supports into operative relation to said pianoaction, said guiding means having an abutment adapted to lock saidsupports.

12. In a device of the character described, a piano action, drivingmeans for said action, movable supports for said driving means, meansfor guiding said supports into operative relation to said piano action,said guiding means having an abutment adapted to lock said supports, andcontrolling mechanism for said driving means carried by said supports.13. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers,a series of pneumatics in operative relation to said stickers, means forseparately adjusting each pneumatic with relation to its respectivesticker, and supporting means for all said pneumatics adapted to guideall said pneumatics simultaneously into said operative relation.

14. In a device of the character described, a series of piano stickers,a plurality of series of pneumatics in operative relation to saidstickers, a plurality of supporting bars for said pneumatics, one foreach series, a standard to which said bars are fixed, and a base onwhich said standard rests having a guiding portion for causing saidpneumatics to move into operative relation to said stickers and saidbase having a depressed portion into which said standard drops and byWhich it is locked in said position.

15. In a device of the character described, a piano action, drivingmeans for said action, and means for guiding said driving means intooperative relation to said action, said guiding means having a depressedportion into which said driving means drops and by which it is locked insaid position.

16. In a device of the class described, a plurality of parallel barssupported at their ends, respective series of penumatics arrangedadjacent to each bar, the Pneumatics tached to said bars in such Wise asto per- 10 of the di fierent series-being staggered, rings mit lateraladjustment and adj ustinent in a 011 the bars to: which the respectivepneuvertical plane relative thereto.

matics are attached, and means for adjust- In testimony whereof, I havesubscribed 5 ing' the rings on said bars. my name. 7

1-7. In: a device of the class described, a CHARLES FREBORG. series ofPneumatics supporting means for Witnesses: V said Pneumatics comprisinga plurality of HENRY A. PARKS, 7 parallel bars; said neumatics being at-EDYTHE M. ANDERSON.-

Gopies of this patent--malybe obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington D. G."

